Container closure



July 11, 1967 R. v. JOHNSON CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed May 20, 1965 INVENTOR F/G. 5 RONALD M damn/601v By 4 194mm?? KQTITORNEY States This invention relates to an improvement in container closure and deals particularly with a simple and effective means of holding a container cover in closed position.

Containers of the type used for containing a plurality of bottles and the like are often provided with lids which may be readily openeds and closed so that the bottles may be removed one at a time. Containers of this type are often provided with rectangularly arranged side walls and a bottom panel, and cover panels are hingedly connected to two opposed side walls of the container, these cover panels being hinged so as to fold into edge abutting relation. In many instances, the cover panels are provided with flanges extending along all but the hinged edge. These flanges often fold into notches in the end walls, the notches frictionally engaging the flanges to hold the cover panels closed. If flanges of this type are eliminated, considerable more difliculty is experienced in holding the cover panels closed.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a container of the same general type as has been produced but provided with flaps on the end walls which are folded in doubled form against the inner surfaces of the end walls and attached thereto for reinforcing the upper edges of the end walls. Cover panels are hingedly connected to the upper edges of the side walls, and are foldable into edge abutting relation. Portions of the end edges of the cover panels are designed to rest upon the reinforced upper edges of the end walls to limit the pivotal movement of the cover panels. The cover panels are narrowed somewhat near their end edges so that portions of these cover panels may extend between the end walls. Projections are provided on the end edges of the cover panels which are engageable into recesses in the reinforced end walls in order to hold the cover panels closed.

An object of the present invention resides in the provision of a container of the type described which may be held closed by merely pushing the end portion of the cover panels downwardly until the rounded projections engage in the locking notches. The cover panels may also be readily opened by merely grasping the end of the cover panels and drawing the panel upwardly, the paperboard flexing sufficiently to permit the projections to be disengaged from the notches.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the container in closed position.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of a portion of the container illustrated in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a portion of the inner surface of one of the reinforced end walls.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view through a portion of the container, the position of the section being indicated by the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the container is formed.

The container is indicated in general by the letter A and is shown in FIGURE 5 as including a side wall 10, a first end wall 11, a second side wall 12., and a second end wall 13, which are foldably connected along parallel fold lines 14, 15, and 16, respectively. A glue flap or stitch flap 17 is foldably connected to one end wall of the series, being shown as attached to the side wall 10 along the fold line 19. In the formation of the container, this stitch flap 17 is secured in face contact with an edge of the end wall 13 to form a tubular construction.

The walls 10, 11, 12, and 13 are foldably connected along their lower edges by a fold line 20 to bottom closure flaps 21, 22, 23, and 24. Usually the closure flaps are properly proportioned so that the side wall closure flaps 21 and 23 meet in edge abutting relation to form the bottom closure. The walls 10, 11, 12, and 13 are also connected along their upper edges by a fold line 25 to top closure flaps 26, 27, 29, and 30, respectively. The side wall closure flaps 26 and 29 are also proportioned to meet in edge abutting relation when the container is closed.

The end wall closure flaps 27 and 30 are provided with an extra score line 31 in closely spaced relation to the fold line 25. These end wall closure flaps 27 and 30 are also each provided with a pair of closely spaced fold lines 32 parallel to the fold lines 25 and 31 and substantially midway betwen the ends of the flaps 27 and 30 and the fold lines 31. The flaps 27 and 30 are provided with elongated generally rectangular notches 33 in their end edges. Each of the flaps 27 and 30 is also provided on either side of its transverse center with a pair of apertures 34 which are preferably elongated in a direction parallel to the adjacent fold line 31 and closely adjoining the fold lines 31. The apertures 34- are of a vertical height which is at least equal to the thickness of the paperboard used.

In the formation of the container A, the flaps 27 and 30 are folded so that the sections 35 thereof which are between the fold lines 31 and 32 are in spaced parallel relation to the end walls 11 and 13 and so that the areas 36 of the flaps 27 and 29 which are between the fold lines 32 and the ends of the flaps are sandwiched between the areas 35 and the end walls. Thus, as is indicated in FIGURE 3 of the drawings, the upper edges of the end walls are reinforced by two additional plies of paperboard which are produced by folding the flaps 27 and 29 in the manner which has been described. As is also indicated in FIGURE 3, the apertures 34 are then located in the inner surfaces of the end wall reinforcements just below the upper edge thereof.

It will also be noted that when the end wall closure flaps 27 and 30 are folded in the manner described, the

notches 33 in the end edges of the flap areas 36 are in registry with the apertures 34 so that the depth of the apertures is accordingly increased. In other Words, only the end walls 11 or 13 close the outer ends of the apertures.

As is perhaps best illustrated in FIGURE 2 of the drawings, the end edges of the side wall closure flaps 26 and 29 include wider edge portions 39 which extend from the fold line 25 a distance somewhat less than half the length of the flaps. The end edges are then provided with rounded narrower portions 40 which curve reversely to provide a pair of rounded projections 41 near the end edges of the closure flaps. These projections 41 are designed to engaged in the notches 34 in preferred form; the narrower panel portions and projections are defined by S-shaped curves. Thus, in closing the container A, each top panel 26 or 29 is folded down until the wider portions 39 of these panels rest upon the reinforced upper edges of the end walls. By pressing the end portions of the closure flaps downwardly, the top panels flex a distance sufficient to permit the rounded projections 41 to enter the apertures 34. By grasping the ends of the flaps 26 and 29, and exerting an upward pull upon these flaps, the flaps will again flex sufficiently to permit the projections 41 to be disengaged from the apertures. Thus, an effective means of holding the cover panels in closed position is provided and, at the same time, the covers may be easily opened when it is desired to do so.

As will be obvious, the end sections 36 of the end wall flaps may be omitted, but are preferably provided for reinforcing purposes. It will also be evident that a single elongated slot or aperture could be used instead of two spaced apertures 34.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my improvement in container closure; while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A container including:

tubularly arranged side and end walls,

a bottom closure connected to the lower edges of said walls,

closure flaps hingedly connected to upper edges of said side and end walls,

a pair of said closure flaps having a longitudinally extending recess generally parallel to and adjacent said hinge connection,

said pair of flaps connected to an opposed pair of said walls,

said pair of closure flaps adapted to be folded into overlying relation to the inner surface of the wall to which they are hinged,

said other pair of closure flaps connected to said other opposed pair of said walls foldable into edge abutting relation,

co-planar tab projections defined on said other pair of closure flaps along end edges thereof adapted to overlie the hinged edges of said pair of closure flaps in spaced registration to said recesses,

said tab projections being flexible out of planar relation with the remainder of said other pair of closure flaps and into engagement in said recesses in said first named closure flaps to hold said other closure flaps in releasably locked relation to said first named closure flaps, and in which each said first named closure flap has a fold line intermediate said recess and the free edge of said closure flap and parallel to the lines of fold connecting said first named closure flaps and the walls to which they are hinged to provide an end flap portion and an intermediate flap portion, said end flap portion between said free edge and said fold line being foldable to underlie the intermediate portion of said first named closure flap.

2. The structure of claim 1 and in which said end flap portion is of a width adapted to extend adjacent to said hinge connection connecting said first named closure flaps to said walls, each said end flap portion when folded having a notch in registry with a said recess.

3. A container including:

tubularly arranged side and end walls,

a bottom closure connected to the lower edges of said walls,

closure flaps hingedly connected to upper edges of said side and end walls,

a first pair of said closure flaps having spaced apart longitudinally extending recesses generally parallel to and adjacent said hinge connection connecting said first closure flaps to an opposed pair of said walls,

said first pair of closure flaps adapted to be folded into overlying relation to the inner surfaces of the walls to which they are hinged,

the other pair of closure flaps connected to said other opposed pair of said walls being foldable into edge abutting relation,

portions of the end edges of said other closure flaps which are adjacent to the hinge lines connecting said other closure flaps to said walls overlying hinge connections of said first closure flaps,

the end edges of said other pair of closure flaps defining tab projections at the free end thereof adapted to overlie said hinge connections of said first closure flaps,

said tab projections being flexible out of the plane of the remainder of said other closure flaps into engagement in said spaced recesses to hold said other closure flaps in releasably locked relation to said first closure flaps, each said first closure flap has a fold line intermediate said recesses and the free edge of said closure flap, extending parallel to the hinge lines connecting said first closure flaps to the walls dividing said first closure flaps into an end portion and an intermediate portion, said end flap portion between said free edge and said fold line being foldable to underlie the intermediate portion of said closure fiap, each said end flap portion when folded having a notched portion in registry with said recesses.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Examiner. 

1. A CONTAINER INCLUDING: TUBULARLY ARRANGED SIDE AND END WALLS, A BOTTOM CLOSURE CONNECTED TO THE OTHER LOWER EDGES OF SAID WALLS, CLOSURE FLAPS HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO UPPER EDGES OF SAID SIDE AND WALLS, A PAIR OF SAID CLOSURE FLAPS HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING RECESS GENERALLY PARALLEL TO AND ADJACENT SAID HINGE CONNECTION, SAID PAIR OF FLAPS CONNECTED TO AN OPPOSED PAIR OF SAID WALLS, SAID PAIR OF CLOSURE FLAPS ADAPTED TO BE FOLDED INTO OVERLYING RELATION TO THE INNER SURFACE OF THE WALL TO WHICH THEY ARE HINGED, SAID OTHER PAIR OF CLOSURE FLAPS CONNECTED TO SAID OTHER OPPOSED PAIR OF SAID WALLS FOLDABLE INTO EDGE ABUTTING RELATION, CO-PLANAR TAB PROJECTIONS DEFINED ON SAID OTHER PAIR OF CLOSURE FLAPS ALONG END EDGES THEREOF ADAPTED TO OVERLIE THE HINGED EDGES OF SAID PAIR OF CLOSURE FLAPS IN SPACED REGISTRATION TO SAID RECESSES, SAID TAB PROJECTIONS BEING FLEXIBLE OUT OF PLANAR RELATION WITH THE REMAINDER OF SAID OTHER PAIR OF CLOSURE FLAPS AND INTO ENGAGEMENT IN SAID RECESSES IN SAID FIRST NAMED CLOSURE FLAPS TO HOLD SAID OTHER CLOSURE FLAPS IN RELEASABLY LOCKED RELATION TO SAID FIRST NAMED CLOSURE FLAPS, AND IN WHICH EACH SAID FIRST NAMED CLOSURE FLAP HAS A FOLD LINE INTERMEDIATE SAID RECESS AND THE FREE EDGE OF SAID CLOSURE FLAP AND PARALLEL TO THE LINES OF FOLD CONNECTING SAID FIRST NAMED CLOSURE FLAPS AND THE WALLS TO WHICH THEY ARE HINGED TO PROVIDE AN END FLAP PORTION AND AN INTERMEDIATE FLAP PORTION, SAID END FLAP PORTION BETWEEN SAID FREE EDGE AND SAID FOLD LINE BEING FOLDABLE TO UNDERLIE THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID FIRST NAMED CLOSURE FLAP. 